Roboden is cable that can stretch

This cable does something others don’t. It stretches. Developed by Asahi Kasei, the cable was originally intended for use on robots, where cabling often has to snake around joints that pivot or extend.

Developed by Asahi Kasei, the cable was originally intended for use on robots, where cabling often has to snake around joints that pivot or extend.

But now the company hopes to find other uses for it.

This is how it works. Wire is spiraled around an elastic central core. When the cable is stretched, there’s enough extra wire in there to allow it to increase by up to 40 percent of its length.

One possible use is in cabling for power adapters. This is simulating what happens when put your USB adapter in a bag. Look familiar? The Roboden cable stays tight if a little stretch is put in when making it tidy.

Or these headphones. With current headphones, extra cable is added to leave them loose to accomodate head movement, but with the Roboden cable they remain tidy, even while jogging, yet can still expand when needed.